Here's a Story of a Lovely Lady

Life is Not a Stage by Florence Henderson
This isn't a book a normally would have picked up on my own. But since I won a copy of the book, I was quite excited to read it. Not completely knowing what to expect this it, I wound up really pleasantly surprised.

I was expecting to read quite a bit more about life filming The Brady Bunch, but now that I've read Florence's story I understand it. There are really only a chapter or two about the show, which really doesn't seem like a lot considering that's want she's know for. But what I had no idea about was how much else she had done, that while Mrs. Brady is her claim-to-fame it was in no way her big break.

Florence early on says she won't be talking much about her childhood, but even so she does paint the basic picture. Her mother was in her mid-twenties and her father almost fifty. Florence was the last of 10 children born in the mid-1930s after 20 years of her parents marriage. Her father was a poor tobacco farm and an alcoholic, and her mother left the family when Florence was around 10-years-old.

After high school she left her hometown in Indiana to move to New York hoping for her big break. It wasn't long after that she was cast chorus of a play, and went on to be a Broadway star staring in plays such as Oklahoma and The Sound of Music. She did start in a movie or two and helped to host The Today Show all before her time as Mrs. Brady.

Before reading this I had no idea of Florence's musical background, although I guess it shouldn't really have been a surprise. She does disclose of few "scandals" throughout the books pages, but if that's all you're looking for you're probably be disappointed. But overall it wound up being an enjoyable book, and I'm glad I was able to experience and would definitely recommend.

4.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own.